In less than three months after the convening of the Mercy Center Conference (conference for the Establishment of Guidelines for Chiropractic Quality Assurance and Standards of Practice), and still several months away from publication and distribution to the chiropractic profession, the chiropractic practice guidelines are already making an impact for the profession.
In one state, an HMO opened its doors to chiropractors based largely on the preliminary document of the Mercy Center Conference. In several other states, the demand for practice parameters is being met by the Mercy document. Now, the Mercy Center Guidelines are aiding the chiropractic profession's efforts to be included in Tennessee's workers' compensation laws.
The Mercy Center Practice Guidelines were officially endorsed by the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) on April 11, 1992 at the recommendation of the FCLB's Professional Standards Committee, chaired by Meredith Bakke, D.C. (please see "FCLB Endorses Mercy Conference Guidelines" in the May 8, 1992 issue). At that meeting, Bobby R. Jackson, D.C., president of the Tennessee Board of Chiropractic Examiners was able to examine a copy of the guidelines. It didn't take Dr. Jackson long to put the Mercy Guidelines to good use:
April 24, 1992
Dr. Meredith Bakke
312 E. North St.
Deforest, WI 53532
Dear Dr. Bakke:
We want to thank you for the use of the Mercy Center Conference Manual on the Guidelines for the Chiropractic Quality Assurance and Standards of Practice. This has been very helpful in the effort to get the workmans' compensation bill passed in the state of Tennessee to include chiropractors. The House last night passed our bill by a margin of 77 votes. We are not home free yet, but it sure looks promising.
Sincerely,
Dr. B. R. Jackson
President, Board of Chiropractic Examiners
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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